Flight Safety

History

The main goal of this site is to inform our customers of the flight safety concept and safety activities of Turkish Airlines.

The subjects that affect flight safety, either directly or directly, such as carriage of PED (Portable Electronic Devices), Dangerous Goods, Pets, Children Travellers, Pregnant Passengers, Disabled/Sick Passengers are explained under the headline "SERVICES".

Our department was founded in 1974 as Flight Safety Directorate with direct access to the General Manager. In November 1999 the Directorate of Quality Assurance was established in compliance with JAA regulations and JAR-OPS. Finally in the last quarter of 2000 the name of the department was changed to the Directorate of Flight Safety and Quality Assurance.

Policy and Objectives

The policy of our company is based upon:

Flight Safety
Economy
Passenger Comfort
Timely Schedule

Flight Safety is the first consideration of Turkish Airlines. Flight Safety within our scope of responsibility covers Flight Operations , Flight Training and Standards ,Cabin, Maintenance Department,Ground Operations, Technical Training, Emergency Response Group and Flight/Maintenance/Ground Safety Managements.

The four main objectives of the Directorate of Flight Safety and Quality Assurance are :

Improving Safety in Flight and Ground Operations,
Achieving and maintaining Risk Awareness by all persons involved in Flight and Ground operations,
Taking corrective action for deficiencies and irregularities,
Sharing experience acquired from safety events by evaluation and promulgation of information related to accidents and incidents.

Most importantly, we are fully aware of our responsibility regarding the safety of the travelling public. Their interest in air safety and confidence in commercial air transportation are best served when the safety standards of Turkish Airlines meet international criteria.

General Information

The main pilot resources of Turkish Airlines are the Turkish Armed Forces and the University of Anatolia/Civil Aviation Academy in Turkey. A group of pilots presently serving as captains have been trained in civil aviation schools abroad. All applicants, regardless of their origin, who have successfully completed their ground and simulator training, join our fleet as second officers. Only Turkish citizens are allowed as applicants.

The medical examinations of the cockpit crew are performed by the Turkish Airlines Flight Surgeon in compliance with the ICAO /Civil Aviation Medicine Regulations. The frequency of the periodic examinations for different age groups are stated below:

40 and below: 12 months
40 - 60: 6 months
60 - 63: 3 months

The Flight Training Center of Turkish Airlines, which is divided into two main sections as Cockpit Training and Cabin Training, covers the following facilities ;

3 Full Flight Simulators ; AVRO RJ100/70, B737-400, B737-800
1 A340 First Class cabin service mock-up
1 B737 Economy Class cabin service mock-up
1 B737/A310/A340 Emergency Evacuation Simulator
1 A-310 Overwing Emergency Exit

Turkish Airlines cockpit crews are qualified to conduct Category 2 and Category 3 flight operations under adverse weather conditions, such as low visibility and low cloud ceiling, which permit a safe landing, depending on the aircraft and aerodrome specifications.

All of the Turkish Airlines fleet are equipped with TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System).

The FAA has established two ratings for the status of countries that have air carriers with existing operations to the United States:

. Category 1: Does comply with ICAO standards,
. Category 2: Does not comply with ICAO standards.

In compliance with the FAA International Aviation Safety Assessment Program, the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority has been assessed by FAA inspectors and has been found to license and oversee air carriers in accordance with ICAO aviation safety standards. Turkish Airlines is in Category 1 status and presently conducts flight operations to 2 airports in the United States, namely JFK and Chicago.

The assessment of Turkish Airlines' flight safety criteria by FAA has proven that Turkish Airlines attaches great importance to Flight Safety and international civil aviation regulations during our flight operations to 4 continents and 104 airports (28 domestic and 76 international), with 69 aircraft and a total seat capacity of 11,080. Turkish Airlines fleet with an average age of approximately 6 and carrying 10 million passengers annually, is one of the youngest airline fleets in Europe. Uçuş Emniyeti

In view of the globalisation of civil aviation it has become clear that the most promising modes of operation are partnerships between airlines called "alliances". In this respect Turkish Airlines has continued to extend its existing international connections in order to keep up with the developments and to reinforce its presence in various markets of the world. In addition to Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Japan Airlines, we have started code-share flights with Malaysia Airlines.

There are approximately 18,000 aircraft currently in service. By 2016 we expect to see about 25,500 airliners operating worldwide. Flying by airlines is definetely the safest way to travel. According to a statement made by NTSB, airline accidents are very rare events and the risk of death or serious injury for air travellers is exceedingly small. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, using data from 1990 to the present, has calculated that an airline passenger faces a death risk of one in eight million. Stated somewhat differently, if a passenger facing a death risk of one in eight million were to choose one flight at random each day, that passenger would, on average, go for 21.000 years before perishing in a fatal crash.

Please find below our organization scheme and office activities aimed at offering our passengers a safe and a pleasant flight.

Activities

Duties and responsibilities of Directorate Flight Safety and Quality Assurance include;

Establishment,implementation and evaluation of Quality Standards and conduct of internal audits and inspections within the Flight Operations, Flight Training & Standards, Cabin, Maintenance Department, Ground Operations,Technical Training and Emergency Response Group.
Preparation of the Quality Manuals of the relevant departments.
Monitoring and coordination of corrective action plans.
Preparing and implementing Accident Prevention and Flight Safety Program in accordance with JAR-OPS1 and Turkish Airlines Quality Policy.
Monitoring and evaluating Flight Operations by the Flight Operations Control Center (Dispatch Office ) reports.
Daily monitoring of Istanbul/Atatürk Airport runways,taxi-routes and ramps.
Supervision of Domestic Airports.,
Flight Safety Meetings.
Evaluation of Company Pilot Reports.
Evaluation of Ground Accidents.
Preparation of Flight and Ground Safety Bulletin.
Preparation of Flight and Ground Safety Culture Bulletin.
Issue of additional training documents.
Subscriptions to international magazines and documents.
Worldwide communication via internet.
Flight Safety Section in the Turkish Airlines web site.
Attending courses and seminars at home or abroad.
Assigning Captains and First Officers to safety lessons for cockpit, cabin and ground personnel.

Abbreviations

ICAO : International Civil Aviation Organization

FAA : Federal Aviation Administration

JAA : Joint Aviation Authorities

JAR : Joint Aviation Requirements

JAR-OPS1: Joint Aviation Requirements/Commercial Air Transportation

IASA : International Aviation Safety Assessment Program

DISPATCH OFFICE : An airline office where flight operations is planned and managed.